St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-09-17
ON THE POTOMAC.
Campaign Of South Mountain
and the Antietam.
M'CLELLAlJ'S LAST BATTLE.
Lees Invasion Of Maryland
Twenty-Five Years Ago.

Flow stonewan Jackson's Mem Sang
"My Maryland" ON the Potomac.
'The Lord Bless Your Ragged. DRY
SoulsF'-Lee's Lost Dispatch-Battle
of the Three Mountain Passes--Cap-
ture Of Harpsr's Ferry by the Confe&l-
erates-The sunkrn Road at sharps-
burg-Dunker Church.
In the CONSERVATION that reigned ut Wash
lngton after tue second battle of Dull Run
Aug 80, 1862, llalleck wrote q hasty note to
Mcclellan, as follows: you will retain the
command of everything in this vicinity not
temporarily to be Pope's army i'll the field.
beg of you to assist me in this crisis with
your ability and experience"
Mcclellan, at The time Of receiving this
note, was not in command of anything TO
speak Of. His army bad been mostly sent to
Pope in Virginia. Halleck's order meant
that Mcclellan was TO take command OF the
5efenses of the city OF Washington, and that
Immediately.
After the bloody fight of Chantilly, Sept.
l, Gen. Pope's Uuion army-what was left Of
it-straggled in Washington, ragged, foot
sore, and half Starved. They were allowed
to rest and pull themselves together asnin
for few days within the intreuchments of
the city. Meantime, Pope once more re-
quested to he relieved Of his command and
sent back west His request was allowed
Sept. lie turned Lis face westward. and his
back On that eastern army which he believed
had never supported him sincerely. Many
of his countryn.en shared the same opinion
1t was declared that had Mcclellan hurried
FranklinB and Summers corps forward to
the support of Pope, as he had been ordered
to do, the Union defeat at the second Gull
Run would not have happened. Horace
Greeley, i'll his american Conflict says 30
IN SO many words lie writes: Had they
been there two days earlier, and had Torter
now and then condescended 10 obey all order,
that defeat might have been transformed
tuto victory"
At any rate, whatsoever the fault. Popes
bloody md unsatisfactory campaign was
over His star III the east had gone down.
The eyes of tho country once more turned to
Mcclellan. Those first years of the war
wee Oh the Union side, desperate hunting
after great generals
Sept. 2, President Lincoln AMI Cen HAL
leci placed NJ Clellan again ut the lieal OF
all the eastern army. They personally called
again. The Army of Virginia was no more,
and the reorganzed Army of the Potomac
rose upon its ruins.
The army i'll Washington having rested.
still formed rs Cine body of lighting men as
need he. Rest brought back their old spirits,
recruits poured III from NIL quarters, and soon
filled ont the skeIctonizesi regiments Sept.
Mcclellan led out of Washington an army
5000 strong. A new campaign was to re
store the confidence of tho country in her
Young Napoleon.
Banks WAS itft in command of the defenses
at Washington. Mcclellan led out from the
city tue First, Second, Sixth, Ninth and
Twelfth army corps, commanded respect
lively Ivy Hooker, Sumner, Franklin, keno
and Mansfield. Gen. COUGHS division of the
Fourth corps was attached to the Sixth
Fi:z John Porter, with his Fifth army corps,
Joined Mcclellan Sept. IL. Khe total strength
OF his army is put at this dase at lU4, 224G or
this splendid army, Burnside commanded
the right, Sumner the center and Franklin
the left Gen. Alfred Pleasonton had charge
Of The cavalry. In this order the army Of
the Potomac advanced once more TO Try con-
illusions with Lee and h men. They did not
exactly know where Lee was yet, but it was
NOT long till thew fnuui nuk